


A Reylo Christmas Carol

by Crackedkybercrystal



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, References to A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens, What Dickens would have written if he'd shipped Reylo, christmas day trading, description of corpse, description of suicide, private egg collection, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-25 03:27:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16653397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crackedkybercrystal/pseuds/Crackedkybercrystal
Summary: "Before the dawn," Hux intoned, "you will be visited by three spirits. Heed their message Kylo Ren, least you end your days like me." It was only now that Kylo perceived his old partner to be bound with a great chain around his waist, weighed down by heavy blocks.The somewhat smutty Christmas Carol Reylo nobody asked for.





	1. The Visitation of Hux

The sign still read "Ren & Hux", although Hux had been dead these past 7 years, Kylo Ren had never bothered to have it repainted. Sometimes new customers would call him Mr Ren and sometimes Mr Hux. He answered to both, it was all the same to him. Presently, this sign swayed and groaned as an icy gust blew down the street. It was cold, bleak, biting weather. The snow had just begun to fall in the dim evening light of late December. Kylo stared out his office window, watching it settle on the shoulder of a beggar working the crowd of passers by. Everyone was bustling off to home, or the public house, or where ever it was the great unwashed scurried to.

The clocks had long since struck 6, the gas lamps had been lit hours past, for the day had never really had any true light. The door to Kylo's office was open so that he could keep an eye on his clerk, Rey Cratchit, who sat in a dismal cell beyond, copying letters. She had huddled around the candle flame, pulling a threadbare blanket over her in a vain effort to stay warm. At long last, Rey scraped her chair along the floorboards in standing.

"I suppose you expect tomorrow off then?" he growled at her, breaking the silence that had fallen across the room like the long shadows of the evening.

"It is traditional," she smiled in response, "and it's only once a year."

Once again, Kylo was stuck wondering what it was that Rey had to smile about. He had insisted that she work from the earliest possible hour until well after it was reasonable to leave. But Rey never complained, or at least not to him. She breezed in each day, lighting her way with a pure spirit that he desperately desired but also feared beyond reason. And that was why he had decided to teach her the hard realities of life. He had to show her that the world would devour a gentle spirit, it was better to harden the heart, erect walls to shield against the inevitable pain and disappointment.

Kylo knew his own mother would be planning a feast for the celebrations tomorrow. Filled with hope, she had set a place at table for him every year for the past decade. It was a place he had ignored just as resolutely. What was the fuss about a date on a calendar if they despised each other every other day of the year.

Rey had bundled herself into the rags she called a coat, placing her bonnet upon her head. She smiled again and wished him both a good evening and a very merry Christmas. The office was already so poorly heated by the single coal he had allowed to burn, that he could see his breath when he spoke, and yet her audacity, to mention the word, to wish HIM a merry .......... He couldn't even finish the thought. What right had she to be merry? Surely the air had turned colder and darker. But Rey was oblivious to his silent rage, she merely shouldered her scarf and walked out the door. Kylo watched her through the bullion glass as she walked over to the beggar. They appeared to know each other for they spoke in happy greeting, then walked together down the road and beyond his gaze around the bend.

Without Rey's presence in the small office, there was no conceivable reason why he should remain. All that was required was to place his own silken top hat upon his head, wrap up his own scarf, made from much finer material than anything Rey owned, and exit the building, pulling the door behind. As he walked down the narrow shop lined street, Kylo saw the usual children sleeping rough under any shelter they could find. A handful had huddled around the windows of the Lord Mayor's kitchen, savoring the warmth and the smells from the feast that was being prepared. These were the urchins that could be reliably depended upon to beg from a wealthy gentleman, but instead they merely eyed him with suspicion. They all knew who he was and that he would use the crop he carried beneath his arm on anybody who ventured too near.

Rounding the bend, Kylo was surprised to see a crowd had gathered around a tavern. It was mostly the tradespeople and shopkeepers who worked these streets, enjoying a drink and company on Christmas eve. Kylo crossed over to the far side to avoid the fools. He felt his features curl into a sneer of disgust. This was the whole problem with society, he fumed. People too poor to be eating a ham tomorrow, but still expecting others (and here he thought very much of himself) to give them the day off while they enjoyed themselves. What reason had they to be merry, they were all poor enough.

Lost deep in his own thoughts, Kylo failed to notice the shadow that slipped out of the recessed doorway he passed. Like a cold slap, he felt a blade pressed into his back, and a foul breath demanded he hand over his watch and wallet if he hoped to see the next dawn. He drew himself fully upright, shocked at his own stupidity for falling into such a position. He knew he would thrash the blaggard into a bleeding pulp here on the street, but he slowly turned, looking for an opening to strike out. Just as Kylo was facing his attacker squarely, the man slumped to the ground, knocked soundly from behind by what looked like a coal shovel. Panting from the effort and surely the shock, Rey stepped out from the concealing shadow, the shovel in question clenched firmly in hand.

"Miss Cratchit!" he exclaimed, in the lamp light, she looked like an avenging angel, glowing in her fury.

"Mr Ren, are you alright? Fin saw that you were in trouble, and I was so fearful for you."

It was only now that Kylo noticed the beggar that Rey had greeted earlier, standing besides his clerk.

"Yes quite," was all he could manage by way of reply.

"He won't be coming back around for a good while," the beggar (Fin was it?) informed them as he stood looking down at the prone form of the would-be thief.

"Do you want us to call the constabulary Mr Ren?" Rey continued, "or a taxi to take you home?"

Kylo stared at her agape. Single handed, she had knocked out an armed man. Kylo was fairly certain that most other woman would swoon at the mere description of these events. But here was Rey, clearly worried about his welfare and trying to get him home safely without so much as a thought about herself.

"I'm quite alright I assure you" he replied. But now it was Fin who turned towards Rey, placing his hand gently beneath her elbow in a manner that Kylo found more disturbing than anything that had since occurred.

"We should be getting along then Rey," Fin said. The man doffed his cap at Kylo as was to be expected when a man addressed his superior, and Kylo for his part, at a loss for anything else to do, excused himself, and continued down the street.

*********************************************************

Soon after, Kylo found himself seated in a chair by a crackling fire, much larger than anything he allowed in his office. He was not at his own apartment, his feet had led him of their own accord to his private gentleman's club, and so here he was, drinking brandy and thinking over the evening's events. It was a place that could normally be relied upon to provide the solitude that he required, so it was with an air of both surprise and irritation that he acknowledged the man who now walked towards him, his uncle Luke.

"Ben" Luke spoke by way of greeting. Only Kylo's mother Leia, and her twin brother, Luke, referred to Kylo as Ben. It seemed to him they did so for the sole purpose of baiting him into a rage.

"Uncle," came Kylo's icy response .

"I was hoping to find you here," Luke continued, "I've just returned from seeing the mayor."

Kylo remained silent, there seemed nothing to say.

"We were meeting with a group of business owners. A few of us are planning to buy some food and the means of warmth for the poor and destitute. It's a disgrace the way people are treated, their only crime is to be born poor," Luke said.

Ben rolled his eyes. Were the prisons and the union workhouses not operating he wondered. If it was every man's fate to one day meet his maker, better to do so without any fuss and decrease the surplus population. He had heard this all before many times from his uncle.

"Ben," Luke implored, "You know she still hopes to see you tomorrow, come dine with us. It's been over 10 years, and none of us will live forever. Can we not all leave the past behind for just one day and...."

But Kylo never heard what it was that his uncle wished to further suggest. He stood abruptly, overturning the brandy glass, "I wish you good evening sir," he said stiffly, then strode out to collect his coat and return home. It was still some hours before midnight, but it already seemed like the longest evening Kylo could recall in a very long time.

***************************************************************

Kylo was oblivious to the cold and damp as he walked along, his mind churning over the events of the day. He would start to mull over one thing but the next would intrude before too long, and then the next and the one right after. He thought he would go insane if he couldn't quieten his thoughts and the raging emotions that raced about beyond his control. In such a state, feeling like a tightly packed canon with a lit fuse, he walked up the stairs to his house. Kylo did not keep a man servant or housekeeper at his apartment. It was widely rumored he went without to save the expense, but the truth was that he simply preferred to be alone. He had always felt under too close a scrutiny as a child, now he valued his privacy above almost any other concern. Thus it was that he searched absent minded about in his pocket for the key.

As he stood on the front stoop, he looked down at the brass knocker, but instead of the lion's head that should have glared right back, he saw the face of his long deceased business partner, Armitage Hux. Kylo gasped and leaped backwards. He was sure his eyes were as big as cheese wheels, but when he blinked, the lion was once again in its rightful position, only obscured by shadow, not aglow with its own inner light as had been the case with Hux's face. Kylo's hand was shaking like a leaf as he finally managed to take the key out of his pocket and open the damned door. How many brandy's had he drunk at the club he wondered aloud. Was it possible that he had in fact been hit over the head by the shovel in Rey's hand, only to become so confused about events that he had imagined the rest, including the face of Hux? This last seemed unlikely, but under the unrelenting glare of Hux's stare, anything seemed possible.

Upon entering the dark hall, Kylo struck a match and lit the lamp kept by the door. Usually, Kylo found the dark soothing, but tonight he felt unsettled. He turned to look back at the front door once more for any sign of Hux, but all was as it should be. He was too shaken to go straight to bed, he knew he'd never get to sleep no matter how tired he felt, so he decided to stoke the fireplace and heat some milk for a nightcap to settle his nerves. After removing his cravat and changing into his velvet smoking robe and slippers, Kylo finally drew in a deep breath and began to settle. He had just let his imagination get the better of him, he decided. This was what came of allowing himself to get so worked up by his uncle. All he needed was to maintain his routine, and everything else would settle back into place. It was just as he came to this reassuring conclusion, that he heard a scraping sound, like a heavy chain being pulled across the floor. Could that be a rat caught up in something he pondered? He couldn't quite trace where the sound had come from, but all was quiet once again.

He had to stay calm, to center himself. Kylo took a deep breath and reached beneath his robe to take his flaccid cock in hand. It was hardly the first time he had masturbated thinking about Rey and how he would like to bend her over his desk as she wrote out the office accounts. But it was usually an indulgence for a laudanum induced dream on a lonely Sunday morning, having spent too long contemplating her perfect ass. To find himself before midnight, engaged in such depravity sent a shiver down his spine. He thought about her mouth, and the way her eyes were wide in shock as he had looked on her last. In his imagination, it was not the beggar that had reached out to take her arm, but Kylo himself. He would sweep her into his arms, hold her close against his body, and tell her all the things he had never whispered to a single soul. Soon he was moaning and bucking his hips up into his hand.

"You know they have professionals that can do this for you," came the distinctly crisp voice of Armitage Hux.

Kylo froze as his blood turned to ice. "Armitage?" was he questioning the apparition or his own sanity?

"At your service, although clearly not the service you're seeking right now" came the response. Kylo reached out his hand to touch the apparition before him, but it moved through the form without meeting any resistance. Kylo could see straight through the figure, to the buttons on the back of his vest. It had often been said of Hux that he had no guts, and now Kylo could see that this was indeed the case.

"You know, I AM aware of where that hand has been," snipped the redhead.

"What do you want from me, why do you trouble me?"

"Much! I have come to warn you. It's too late for me, but you can still change your ways, you have a chance and hope of escaping my fate."

"I quite like my ways," Kylo found himself answering. "Can you sit down?" He did not know if a ghost so transparent could use a chair. Hux sat down on the other chair before the fireplace, as if it was old times.

"Before the dawn," Hux continued unperturbed, "You will be visited by three spirits. Heed their message Kylo Ren, least you end your days like me. It was only now that Kylo perceived his old partner to be bound with a great chain around his waist, weighed down by heavy blocks.

Kylo knew that Hux had always enjoyed some slightly unusual sexual picadillos. He had once witnessed Hux chained up by a mistress as she stood above him urinating, but even Kylo could see that Hux was far from enjoying his present confinement. "I forged this chain in life Kylo," Hux cried out, "with each and every act of selfish cruelty, and now I must bare it as I walk through the world without rest, witnessing each day the happiness I could have known if only I had acted while there was still time. But the chain you carry is far greater. Heed this warning."

Kylo looked down as if he could see his own chain. "Have you no comfort to give me Hux?"

"I have none," replied the spirit. The chain had begun to pull Hux away from where he had sat. "I cannot stay, I cannot rest anywhere. In life, my mind never left the narrow limits of our office, but in death I see the world, and what truly my business aught to have been, the common welfare of all."

"You were always a good man of business Hux," Kylo tried to comfort him, but Hux had ceased to pay him any attention as the chain had now dragged the apparition to the edge of the room.

"Heed this warning Kylo Ren," he spoke one last time before he was pulled out through a wall, and vanished entirely. Kylo stood, then walked up to his bed chamber. Lying down, he promptly fell asleep, his mind being overwhelmed by all it had experienced.


	2. The Ghost of Christmas Past

The church bells had begun to strike the very first hour of the day when a hand reached through the curtains to pull them aside. Kylo was instantly wide awake, the true mystery was that he had slept at all. He thought about his experiences in opium dens, could the conversation with Hux have been a drug induced fantasy? Was he even now lying prone in some den of iniquity, in the throws of a fevered dream? If this was the case, it seemed he was not yet free of its grip. Before him stood a figure that was both an old man and a young child, with features of both that flickered from one back to the other, so that at one moment he would seem more one, and then just as suddenly, he had always been more the other. But the strangest feature of the spirit by far was the flame that burned from the crown of his head, like a living candle. 

"Are you the spirit I was warned to expect?"

"Yes," hissed the apparition. "I am the ghost of Christmas past."

"The far past?"

"No, your past Ben."

"Why are you here?"

"For your welfare."

"And if my welfare was best served by allowing me to sleep uninterrupted?" Kylo suggested.

At this, the spirit merely smiled. "Rise with me." He reached out and grasped kylo's hand, where upon they both rose up through the canopy of the bed, and through the ceiling and roof of the house as if they were no more substantial than a dream or a half-formed thought, and Kylo suspected that this might indeed be all that they were. They emerged above the city with only the stars and moon to look down upon them, then they began to fly along at great speed. The rooftops and the chimneys of the city were soon forgotten as they sped across snow covered fields. Now they were approaching a small village, and a particular building on the outskirts of the town. The sun must have eventually caught up with their escapades, because now it was mid-morning, judging by the light. They swooped down to stand in the middle of the road, where Kylo observed a horse drawn cart to be approaching at a steady pace. 

Holding the reigns in the cart was a man who could only be his Uncle Luke, only now he appeared different, younger than Kylo could ever recall having seen him. His hair was not yet so very streaked through with grey, his beard and sideburns were fashionably trimmed. Sitting besides his uncle was another figure. It took Kylo some moments to realize exactly who this was. A youth, with short hair and ears that clearly stuck out at an alarming angle. He was tall and lanky and restless, he looked ready to leap from the cart at any moment. Kylo gasped, because here before his very eyes was himself as he had been in his youth. Indeed, he recognized this village and this road as lying only a few miles distant from where he had grown up as a child, not only this, but he clearly remembered this very morning with his uncle. 

Now the cart had drawn up so as to be almost upon them without any sign of noticing them or slowing in any way. Kylo made to step aside, but his spirit guide held his hand firmly, keeping him in place. Kylo cried out in alarm, but the cart proceeded on, and in the next stride, the horse, without shying away or acknowledging them at all, walked straight through them, followed in due course by the cart and all its contents.

"These are the shades of things that have been, they have no consciousness of us, and neither can we effect what has already come to pass," explained the spirit.

And so the cart proceeded on its journey, pulling into the courtyard behind the building that Kylo had spied from above. His younger self leaped off the cart and called out "Merry Christmas" by way of greeting to Maz, the matron who ran this orphanage. They were soon inside, carrying the oranges, books and toys that they had carted for the young children who lived here, as well as the largest turkey, ready for the feasting. It was uproaress beyond belief, but nobody seemed to care. Young Kylo was soon dragged into the games by the more outgoing of the wards, or else chasing them about in high spirits. Kylo had forgotten that he had ever been so carefree, that he had ever laughed so much.

But now his eye was drawn to a pair who sat together quietly in the far corner of the room. He approached them as his younger self was far too preoccupied to notice, and with a start, realized that the young girl was without any doubt, his clerk, Rey. Her little face had not yet matured into adulthood, but he could easily recognize her features, and he smiled to see that she already wore her hair in the distinctive three bun style that she still favored. He had never asked Rey about her family, he had never realized that their paths had indeed crossed so many years ago. 

Kylo stood next to the little girl and heard her comforting her companion, "it's alright Fin," she soothed. "When my parents come back for me, I'll make sure that you can come too. We'll have Christmas everyday." Young Fin looked back at her adoringly. "Master Ben gave me this," and here she produced one of the oranges from her skirts. She began to peel her precious gift and handed half of it over to Fin, and then they ate the fruit with so much obvious joy that Kylo could no longer watch the intimate scene without feeling ashamed for reasons he couldn't even comprehend. 

Kylo stood up and walked over to where his uncle was speaking with Maz in hushed tones. "Is Plutt still threatening to take her back?" his uncle asked.

"Yes, I fear for her safety whenever she's outside this building," the old woman replied. "We were only able to take her in when she become so ill we all thought that she wouldn't live to see the dawn. Plutt didn't want the bother of disposing of her body, but she's a fighter, a tough little thing. And now that she's healthy, he wants her back on his factory floor. The last young girl who worked that job got her hand caught in one of the machines. It was ground to a pulp before she could even scream, but that animal," Maz's voice was level and hard, " he didn't even pause it, said he couldn't afford to restart the engines. So they scraped up what was left of her and the work continued without missing so much as a beat. I won't let him take Rey."

"I'll talk to him," his uncle replied. "We can pay him off to keep Rey, but it only means he'll find another child with hands small enough for the job." The pair fell silent at the grim reality. 

"I've seen enough" Kylo told his guide.

"Then let us see another Christmas", once again the spirit took Kylo's hand and they soared through the air. 

In no time at all they had landed on a busy city street, before them was a warehouse office. "I know this place" Kylo stated, "This is Snoke's office, it was here that I was apprenticed, and where I first met Hux." As if the mention of his name was enough to summons him forth, a young Hux walked down the street and into the office. Kylo and his guide followed close behind. Inside, they found a version of Kylo a few years older than the last. His hair was now grown longer into the style he still favored, but he was still a sapling, not yet fully matured. "But it's only one day of the year," he pleaded to his employer. Snoke was a bold giant of a man with heavy scars. If he had ever smiled, Kylo had never heard tell of the affair.

"I own you Kylo Ren," Snoke growled. "I don't care if it's one day or 5 minutes to piss in the alley, if I say no, then you don't even think about it. Your compassion makes you weak. Look at Hux, he asked to come in today, said he wanted to get away from his family." Young Hux had entered the room by now, and preened at Snoke's praise. Kylo remembered how later that evening the young men had gotten drunk together in the office and started dreaming about opening up their own business one day, one where nobody else would call the shots. 

"My time grows short" spoke his guide. He took Kylo's hand, and now they were inside Kylo's mother's house. Kylo recognized the day as the very last time they had spoken together, but he didn't need to watch this unfold, because the memory was so deeply etched into his mind. There she sat before him in tears, still wearing widow's black, as they had buried Han only a month earlier. 

"You fear the world too much Ben," she wept. "You weigh every action by gain." 

But Kylo had only heard Snoke's words in his head. Wasn't it the natural order of things for the chick to leave the nest and never return? It was only the weakness of his compassion that split his spirit to the bone, but he would harden his heart to become the man that he thought it was right to be. 

"Spirit, why do you delight in tormenting me?" Kylo begged.

"One more" his guide replied. Now they stood in the street near his office. Rey was walking along carrying a small case that contained everything she owned. Fin, her ever present companion walked besides her.

"I saw him today," Fin said. "He is much changed, I doubt you would recognize the man."

"I have the letter here," Rey replied. "He's offered me a position, I mean to take it Fin. I can't believe that he could have changed so very much when there was such goodness in him."

"Spirit, show me no more. Conduct me home," Kylo cried out. He felt an exhaustion come over him so deeply that he struggled to recognize his own bed. Kylo fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	3. The Ghost of Christmas Present

The clock was once again chiming the first hour. Kylo had either slept through 24 hour, or the concept of time as a one-way arrow had been well and truly disrupted. He now lay awake on his bed, fully alert, he didn't know exactly what to expect, but he expected something to reach through the curtains at any time. Soon the bells stopped their peeling, and all that could be heard was his own breath, he waited...... and waited....... He was sitting bolt upright now, was the next spirit late for his own haunting? Kylo stuck his head out past the bed curtains, and saw a light shining through the gap beneath his door. Shuffling into his slippers, he walked down to the parlor.

He had placed his hand upon the door handle when he was ushered in by a rich and hearty voice. Entering the chamber was like walking into a cave of wonders. It was his parlor, in his house, that couldn't be denied, but now it had been transformed. The walls were draped in evergreen firs, tied here and there with bright red ribbons and sprigs of berries. The fireplace was a blaze of heat and light, it hadn't been stoked so high in all the years of Kylo's residence. Heaped around the room was every type of delicacy. Great joints of meat, poultry and long strings of sausages filled the place. Casks of ale, a barrel of oysters, a mountain of cheeses and olives and fruit and bon-bons that twinkled in the light. There were puddings of every description, rosy apples and luscious pears, twists of sweet smelling pastries oozing with sticky syrups. Reclined at ease amongst the riches was a jolly giant. He was dressed in a simple green robe, trimmed with white fur, and on his head he wore a wreath of holly. He held aloft an odd shaped horn in one hand, and from it shone the light that Kylo had seen beneath his door. 

"Come in, come in!" exclaimed the apparition. "Come in and know me better. I am the ghost of Christmas present."

Kylo stepped forward as he was bidden and spoke to the spirit. "I hope I learn as much from you as I did your brethren. Conduct me where you will."

"Touch my robe," commanded the spirit.

Kylo reached out, and they instantly flew along the city streets, through the shops and the market places. They paused before some laborers clearing snow off the streets, the men called out to each other, jovial and full of glee, they glided past the flower sellers, giggling to each other about their beaus. The shops were crowded with the last rush of shoppers, there were baskets of nuts and bottles of wine, candied fruits and cakes with delicate roses piped all around. People paused to hear a choir that had started to sing as the crowds flocked through the streets. In the rush and the bustle, sometimes people knocked against each other and spoke out in anger. The ghost would sprinkle some incense from his torch light, and their good humor would be restored. It's a shame to quarrel on Christmas they would agree, then smile fondly and be on their way. In this manner, the ghost brought Kylo to a small house.

Inside, Rey and Fin sat around the fireplace. Rey was attaching some brightly colored cheap ribbons to her bonnet to help it look more festive, when Fin began to cough and splutter. Rey paused in her work to rub his back. "The others will be here soon, but I'm worried about this cold you've caught. I think you've been out in the weather for too long," she told him.

"It's nothing," he replied, "I'll be fine."

Just then the doorbell rang, Rey stood to welcome their guests. Two more people entered the house. "Poe, I'm so happy that your ship came into port today. It's been an age since we spoke."

The handsome captain swept off his hat and bowed low to his hostess. Kylo felt the grip of jealousy tightening in his chest. "And Rose," Rey continued. "How is your sister? Is she still working in the milliner's shop?" Rose was busy removing her shawl and bonnet, revealing a dress that was decked out in even more of the bright ribbons that Rey had. She handed a small package over to Rey, and went to sit next to Fin. 

"I brought you some sugar plums from Paige, she's sorry she couldn't come," Rose explained. 

Rey squealed in delight, "My favorite! send her my love."

Soon it was time to sit around the table as Rey carried out the goose. Kylo could see it was a rather small and sorry looking bird, but the happy faces around the table didn't seem to notice anything missing. They had mash potatoes and apple sauce and a jug of gravy and stuffing. They joked and laughed as they passed the plates around, and then Rey raised her glass and proposed a toast, "to Mr Ren, the founder of the feast."

Fin's breathing had already become labored, but now he fully choked. "Rey," he implored, "how could you even mention that monster today? He may have paid your wages, but he's not welcome here, and I don't want to even hear his name. I bet he's sitting alone in his office right now, thinking up new ways to make everyone around him even more miserable."

Kylo felt not anger, but deep shame at Fin's words.

"Oh Fin, he seems so lonely. Sometimes I just want to take his hand and tell him that he isn't alone." Rey replied in a low voice.

"Oh, do tell," smirked Rose. "What does he look like?"

Rey blushed, "he's tall with dark hair."

"Oohhh," gushed Rose, "tall, dark and brooding, just like Heathcliff." 

"I don't have time for your romantic novels!" laughed Rey, but Kylo noticed that she had turned a very bright red. 

Now it was time for the pudding, a very modest ball that had been wrapped in cloth and boiling for most of the day. It was plated with all due ceremony and presented as the miracle of the hour. "I was worried I wouldn't have enough flour," Rey conceded, "but I'm sure the shopkeeper put in an extra shake when I wasn't looking." Everybody agreed it was the best pudding ever, and the last slice was wrapped up carefully for Paige. 

Now they drew around the fire once again. It was apparent that Fin would normally sing to them at such a time, but his throat was roar, and his coughing had become worse. He excused himself and retired to his chamber. "Do you think he'll be alright," a worried Rose asked Rey. "I have a bottle of tonic at home that might help, I'll bring it around tomorrow."

"It really just started today," Rey replied. "He's been spending such long hours looking for work." There was a beat of awkward silence before Poe told them a funny story about one of his sailors mistaking a seal for a mermaid, and they returned to happier chit chat. 

Kylo turned to his spirit guide, "Will Fin recover?" he asked.

"Better that he dies without fuss and decreases the surplus population," the spirit quoted Kylo's own ugly ideas back at him, only now Kylo felt ill that he had ever entertained such rank thoughts. He remembered how it had been Fin that had seen the thief last night. What if he hadn't been there to warn Rey, what if it had been Kylo's bloodied body that ended up on the cobblestones? 

The scene faded away and Kylo was once again travelling with the ghost. He watched people from all over the country celebrating the day. There were lighthouse keepers who raised a toast with their ration of rum, young families with children, their eyes round as saucers at the decorations and surprises of the day. There were old couples, recalling all the years they had spent this day together, just grateful to have one more, and people newly engaged, dreaming about their futures. At last they flew through the walls of the mayor's residence and Kylo blanched.

Seated around a long table was a large group of people. The woman all wore beautiful gowns, the men were equally well presented, with jeweled pins in their cravats and wondrously waxed mustaches. Everybody was making an effort to be especially charming. The mayor herself looked just as Kylo remembered, although maybe there was a touch more grey in her hair. The table setting at her left side was left open, waiting for her son to take his place. 

His Uncle Lando was entertaining everybody with a story from his misspent youth, frequenting the gaming tables of Europe. "I was in the court of the tzarina," Lando drawled, "and she was giving me that look, the one that doesn't require any translation. I said to her 'Kitty Kat', because that's what I call the tzarina, 'let me show you my private egg collection.' Those Russian dolls are crazy for eggs." The men laughed heartily and the woman blushed.

"Lando," Luke warned, "remember that you're in polite company." 

"How could I forget?" He reached out for Leia's hand, and brushed the back of it with his lips. He hadn't changed at all Kylo thought, his mother rolled her eyes.

At a signal, they all rose up and gathered in the parlor. His mother began to play the piano and sing a song that he remembered from when he was a young boy, and Kylo did something that he hadn't in decades, he began to cry.


	4. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check updated tags *description of suicide*

With the heel of his palms pressed against his face, Kylo took a deep breath to calm himself. When he looked up again, he could no longer see his mother, he could no longer feel the jovial presence of the ghost of Christmas present. He was standing in the open darkness, as a phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached. The figure was cloaked in a ragged black hood and looked like death. Kylo's knees buckled beneath him, he fell forwards, kneeling before the silent apparition. 

"Am I in the presence of the ghost of Christmas yet to come?"

The spirit remained silent only reaching out to point onward. 

"Ghost of the future, I fear you more than any specter I have seen. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, I will bear your company with a thankful heart, lead on."

Kylo found himself standing in a churchyard, a small group had gathered around the doorway and along the path. He searched, but he found no likeness of himself among the multitudes. Out through the church door walked a bride and groom, their guests threw rice and wished them every happiness. Kylo saw that it was the Captain, Poe, beaming with pride. Now the happy couple had reached the gate, their carriage lay beyond. Poe turned to his bride and lifted back her veil, and there stood Rey. Kylo couldn't breath, he couldn't move, he was sure his heart had stopped beating. Rey smiled up at her new husband and they stepped through the gates. 

A fog came before Kylo's eyes, he blinked, and now he was standing on the street before his own house. From here he could just about make out the lion-head knocker that bulged from the front door. As he stood watching, the maids that cleaned his house each week rushed out. Kylo noticed that the older of the two held a bag under one arm. 

"How long do you think he's been like that?" asked the younger maid.

"For days at least," came the reply, she shifted the bag from one shoulder to the other. "Did you see the rats had already paid their last respects?"

The younger maid had turned pale and nodded in silence. 

"I'm off to visit the pawn broker with this lot," her companion continued. "I'll get those bed curtains down when I return, and then I'll let someone know." The two maids walked past them on the street, and the spirit gestured for Kylo to proceed up his own stairs, into his house. 

The house was cold and silent, but wasn't it always like this? Wasn't that how Kylo had always preferred it to remain? He paused, then turned towards the parlor. At first he noticed a shadow upon the wall, and then he saw himself, hanging from the neck, held up by the chandelier. The chair that he had last stood upon was kicked over, lying upon the floor. The rats, industrious as ever, had managed to scramble along the rope and had eaten out his eyes. 

Its not as if he hadn't thought about this before. He had looked up at that chandelier and contemplated what length of rope might suffice. But to see his body dangling, slowly turning from the rat's ministrations, repulsed and disgusted him. He leaned over and threw up whatever was left in his stomach. Sinking down, he asked the spirit "Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they the shadows of things that MAY be only. Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, but if the course is departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you have shown me spirit!" Kylo cried out. "I am not the man I was, why show me this if I am past all hope? Assure me that I may yet change these shadows with an altered life."

The deathly figure nodded.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart," declared Kylo, "and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the past, the present and the future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."

The spirit raised his hands so that his dark cloak spread like a bat's wing, then he seemed to twist and shrink within himself, until he had vanished into the air. With his departure, Kylo was alone in the parlor as it had been, empty but for the still living, even his bile had vanished. The church bells, heralding Christmas morning began to ring out. Kylo was filled with joy and the relief of having his life before him. He stood up and took up his old name, like a discarded book he had forgotten about, but now that he had found it, he wondered how he could have ever gone without. He was Ben Solo once again.

The first order of the day was to bathe and shave. He wanted to be as fresh on the outside as he felt within. Once he had finished styling his hair to his satisfaction, and put on the deep green coat which he thought became him well enough, he strode over to the window and called out to one of the boys on the street. "I say good chap, do you know the poulterer in the next street but one?" he called. "Have them come here so that I can arrange a delivery and I will give you a shilling. Come back with the man in less than five minutes and I'll give you half a crown." The boy ran off at break-neck speed and Ben laughed aloud. 

After the largest available turkey was dispatched with all speed to Miss Rey Cratchit, Ben walked down to the flower sellers. Bouquet in hand, he walked along enjoying the pleasures of the morning. When he passed a stall selling coal shovels, he couldn't resist buying one and having it wrapped with a big red bow. Carrying the gift beneath his arm, he continued on his way until he walked up to Rey's house. He hadn't been paying much attention to where he was going, but this felt right, like returning home after a long day's work. He had been pulled along by a shining string that tied his heart to her firmly. It was only as he stood before her door, hat in hand, that he felt nervous. As he stood there he rehearsed what he would say. Could he begin by asking her if she'd ever wondered who Hux was? Suddenly the door flew open and Rey stepped forward into the light.

"Merry Christmas Rey," he heard himself say. She was so beautiful, like freshly fallen snow, or the first light of dawn.

"Mr Ren," Rey gasped. Ben winced at his own name on her lips. 

"May I come in?" he asked. 

Rey stepped aside and gestured him forward. The house was so small, but so warm, Ben wondered that he had bothered with the coal shovel. "These are for you," he handed over her gifts. When she quirked an eyebrow at his offering he explained, "I noticed how handy you were with one last night, so I thought you deserved another." It didn't even make any sense, whenever he spoke to her, the words got all confused in his head. She smelt like springtime, he could feel the thaw of his heart.

"We were so happy and surprised when the turkey arrived," Rey spoke. "Fin's taken it down to the bakers to roast, but he'll be back soon." They sat in the parlor and spoke about everything and nothing. When Fin returned, Ben noticed that he was already beginning to look unwell, so he insisted that Fin lie down while Ben organised for the apothecary to send out a tonic. They would speak of a suitable position for Fin when he was recovered. 

Rose and Poe soon joined them. Ben was secretly happy Rey had placed him close to her at the table. They laughed and joked and spoke about the past and the future. Rey told him about the orphanage she and Fin had lived in, and did he recall she shyly asked, visiting one Christmas, many years ago to hand out oranges?

After the pudding was served, as much as a triumph as Ben had foreseen, it was time to leave. Ben felt bold enough to ask Rey if she would accompany him on one last visit for the day. She simply wrapped herself up in her shawl and placed her ribbon decked bonnet upon her head without any further questions. She trusted him, and the realization gave Ben pause, as he contemplated the precious gift she placed in his care. They walked together through the gently drifting snow. Ben removed his own woolen scarf to wrap around Rey, he knew her coat was woefully inadequate, he should have bought her a new one instead of the shovel, but thankfully, they had arrived at the Mayor's house. 

When the servant announced their arrival, Leia came bursting forth, "Ben!" she cried, and then they were hugging, and Ben had to clear his throat before he could speak. Of course Leia insisted that they both stay for dinner. Ben returned to his own apartment to prepare, while Leia led Rey upstairs with a reassurance that she had everything that could be needed. When Ben returned, standing at the foot of the stairs for the ladies to come down, he couldn't stop his mouth from falling open. It was still Rey, her inner beauty was as radiant as ever, but now she was dressed in a way that screamed out "look upon me, for I am the most beautiful creature you will ever spy!" She wore an emerald green velvet gown. The maids had styled her hair into an elegant arrangement that emphasized her neck and left her bare shoulders on display. Ben wanted to cover her up, jealous that anybody else could drown in her beauty, the way he felt swept away. 

As they sat around the table, Ben spoke to his Uncle Luke. "I owe you a great debt," he began. 

"Oh?" asked Luke.

"Many years ago you saved Rey from Plutt's factory. I know that you've been collecting for the poor. Would you do me the honor of accepting my contribution. There are many years of back-payments that I owe."

They raised their glasses in a silent toast, Lando had started telling some ridiculous story about the tzarina. 

 

EPILOGUE: 7 YEARS LATER

Ben thrust gently into his wife from behind. When she was this heavily pregnant, he worried about hurting her, but as he ran his hands over her body, cradling her stomach, his desire burned like the hottest coals. He had wanted Miss Cratchit since she first walked into his office all those years ago, but he had not realized that Rey's own fire was so intense, until the evening she had knelt beneath his desk and taken him in her mouth like a whore. He had cum so hard he thought he might be visited by another spirit. Gods, how he loved her! 

There were already four children asleep in the nursery upstairs, three beautiful girls, and his son, Hux, named for the man whose warning had saved Ben's life. At first light they would all come tumbling down the stairs to see what Father Christmas had brought. He knew he was blessed many times over. Ben's pace became erratic and he groaned as he spilled his seed into his wife. Rey turned back and they kissed. He still felt like he could never get enough, that he was condemned and she was the last meal.

"Merry Christmas my love" he whispered.


End file.
